To Dream Anew
by Witch of Darkness
Summary: When an evil sorceress bent on revenge, forces two wandering lives to intersect, it's up to the owners of both those lives to deal with the consequences and inturn exact revenge of their own. (SessSan) rated M for safety's sake.
1. Chapter 1

Hello dear readers. Welcome to my humble story. It's probably not the best thing you'll ever read but it makes me happy so I'll post it anyway. Also, please, please leave a review, there's nothing that makes me happier and when I'm happy I'm much more enthusiastic when it comes to writing. Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything pertaining to InuYasha. sigh such a tragedy, No? 

To human ears the forest was still, but to those who knew how to listen it was a raucous cacophony of chitters and rustles. Birds called to their mates, small mammals scurried through bushes, and as dusk fell upon the trees, a far more dangerous part of the animalia began to hunt. It was this last section, that held Sesshomaru's interest. Normally, a great demon such as he would be not have given them a seconds thought, but it was not his own safety he was concerned about.

"Sesshomaru-sama, why does the sun go down at night?"

Looking down into the bright, curious eyes that had interrupted his assessment of the woodland dangers, Sesshomaru considered his answer. "That is the way of things, Rin," he eventually stated.

"Oh," was all she replied. Rin knew better than to ask for a more detailed response.

As they continued their journey through the trees, Rin elapsed back into silence. Though Sesshomaru very much doubted that her questions were at an end. She had become so curious all of a sudden. Where once she had been content to trail along in silence, voicing her questions towards Jaken, she was now boldly seeking Sesshomaru's wisdom as well. Unfortunately her curiosity was not merely verbal, she had taken to wandering off alone in search of who knew what. How old was she anyway? 8? 9? Though never breaking his stoic mask, Sesshomaru sighed internally. By demon standards 9 was little better than infant but a human such as Rin, should know better than to wander off alone.

Sesshomaru went back to listening for potential threats in hopes of avoiding unpleasantness later. He would have to impress upon Rin the importance of remaining with himself or Jaken at all times. Where was Jaken anyway? Looking back, he could see his toad of a retainer lagging behind. It seemed the time had come to stop for the night. With the departure of the sun, the temperature would be dropping shortly.

Several minutes later, having led his small entourage to a relatively secure clearing, Sesshomaru made his wishes known. These wishes were only some in a long line of similar requests and would probably be issued many more times in the future. "Jaken, light a fire, and get something for Rin to eat."

"Yes milord," Jaken replied with the pretense of willing obedience. He had learned long ago that to complain meant torture most unpleasant but his griping remained audible as he stumped off into the trees.

Sesshomaru, for his part, found himself a relatively comfortable tree to sit beside while his companions rested. Being a demon, he did not need as much rest as they, but he conceded to their need for slumber and settled himself beside his tree of choice. Observing silently, as Jaken returned with food and wood, he considered his life such that it was. Who was he? He was Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, feared by all. Where was he now? In the middle of a forest on the edge of his territory. Who was he with? A human girl, a toad demon and a two headed dragon. Inwardly he smirked at the absurdity of such an arrangement. Here he was, powerful beyond all reason and all he had to show for it was a little girl who had made a pet of his dragon and a toad vassal who was more of an embarrassment than anything else. Hardly, the company of his peers.

What did he do with his time? He roamed his lands taking care of business, safeguarding what was his. That, at least was a worthy pursuit, he mused, that was after all his duty as Lord. Did he have family? No, provided you didn't count his mangy half-brother as family, which he didn't. Was he happy with his life? Internally he berated himself for asking such questions. It didn't matter if he was happy or not, but if he was honest with himself, he wasn't. He seemed to be drifting now that his search for Tetssaiga had ended, and Naraku was defeated. What did make him happy anyway? The feel of his claws ripping through the flesh of his enemies, the sound of Rin's laughter. He gave a silent chuckle. Rin, it seemed had happiness to spare. She found joy in everything and reluctant though he was to admit it, he found joy in her.

The demon lord closed his eyes and listed to the crackling of the fire, to Jaken and Rins' quiet conversation (a pointless debate over who caught the biggest fish that afternoon) and finally, to the sounds of the forest.

Later when the embers in the fire glowed, and Rin, Jaken, and even AhUn, the two headed dragon had fallen asleep, Sesshomaru began to think of other things. It had become a sort of game for him, to picture his enemies and pinpoint their weaknesses; calculate exactly how he'd kill them should they meet in battle. At the moment, his list of enemies was relatively short. At the top, was his brother, that insolent half-breed InuYasha. Although he was no longer actively seeking InuYasha, (who would?) it was still enjoyable to imagine how he would kill him should the need arise. Loathe though he was to admit it, InuYasha had become a formidable foe. His skills with Tetssaiga had surpassed what Sesshomaru would have expected of the half-breed although he still swung it was one might swing a block of wood. If it came to a real fight Sesshomaru supposed he would rely on his superior swordsmanship and his ability to raise his brother's ire. Confrontation at any rate, seemed unlikely.

What of his brother's companions though? Like him, he had collected a rag-tag band of followers. First, there was his brother's wench, that reincarnated miko. Her spiritual powers were for the most part still untrained, and her arrows he could dodge. Alone, he figured, she would be relatively easy to overpower. It was InuYasha's devotion to her that presented a problem. It seemed his brother was stirred to new realms of volition when the woman was concerned.

There were others in the group however, the monk for one. Now that he'd lost the Wind Tunnel, his means of defense were limited. True, like the miko, he had holy powers but it was doubtful they'd be enough against a foe such as Sesshomaru. Mentally, Sesshomaru ran over the list of weapons he would be up against. The staff, that, Tokijin or his energy whip could take care of. The monk's spells, they would do little against him. Yes, thought Sesshomaru, he was prepared for the monk.

After the monk there was the kitsune. This particular being had gained Sesshomaru's notice merely by being a demon among so many humans. Silently, Sesshomaru chuckled at the though of himself in battle against the little kit. No, as of yet the fox child was no threat. His illusions were flimsy and his fire was weak. Given time though, he would gain strength. Personally, Sesshomaru thought it best to recognize possible threats before they were allowed to mature. He very much doubted that the kitsune would ever be able to beat him but neither was he one to underestimate his opponents. Many times he had seen great demons fall before adversaries they had, up to that point, taken no notice of. If Sesshomaru wished to be anything, it was not unprepared.

Last in the line of InuYasha's followers was the Taijiya, the demon slayer. Of all the humans in that little group, she was probably the one who possessed the most skill. Between her boomerang and the fire-cat she was indeed formidable. At least against numerous, lesser demons. Yes, that was her weakness, her weapons were only effective from a distance; at close range they would relatively useless against his superior reflexes. She was strong for a human but Sesshomaru possessed no uncertainty as to whether or not he could beat her.

He thought of them all. His brother, the miko, the monk, the kitsune, the taijiya. Truly a pathetic group. Not one out of all of them was fit to live. His brother was a pathetic half-breed. That alone damned him. The miko was… just too strange he supposed. What with her odd garments and disrespectful attitude, constantly sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Clearly the woman needed to be taught her place. The monk was a lecherous fool. He allowed his fondness for woman to impair his judgment thus weakening him. This particular weakness was also one that Sesshomaru had very little tolerance for. As for the kitsune, well, Sesshomaru would allow him some room for error as he was only a child. He merely pitied him the fact that fate had crossed his path with that of InuYasha's.

What of the Taijiya though? What was her crime? From what Sesshomaru had seen and heard she had sought to avenge her fallen kin. Was that such a horrible crime? If Sesshomaru abided by his own code of honor then no it wasn't, but that still didn't mean she was worthy. She was human and thus weak. But was she weak? Compared to him yes, compared to a mindless horde of demons, she could hold her own. That meant she was better than most humans didn't it? Yes, she was strong and that was primarily how Sesshomaru judged people, by their strength.

InuYasha has proven himself strong as well. This thought came unbidden from somewhere deep within Sesshomaru's own mind. No, he would not could not stop hating his brother now. Stop trying to kill him yes, but he'd invested to much of his heart into loathing his brother. To stop hating him now would mean admitting his initial fault in blaming InuYasha for the crimes of their father. That, had been a painful enough realization in its own right. The realization that InuYahsa was merely a living reminder of his father's betrayal.

Opening his eyes, Sesshomaru focused on the surrounding trees, blocking out his unwanted thoughts. For so long he had prided himself on his strength of mind, his force of will, and his heart of stone. It was only recently, while watching InuYasha mature and develop, that he had recognized the presence of his own personal demons. Emotions were weaknesses, that much was clear, but hadn't he seen great deeds achieved despite their presence? Yes, he knew where his weakness now lay, he had not conquered his emotions, he'd merely blocked them out. All of them, his hate, his pain, his fear, even, his love were lurking just beneath the walls of his heart.

He sighed, and this time it was not an internal sigh but a silent exhalation.

Now was not the time for soul searching. Distraction was not an option, it was never an option. He still had duties, he still had obligations, his personal affairs would just have to wait. Closing his eyes once more, he resumed his careful scanning of the area, and satisfied that all was as it should be, he let his mind go blank.

Some hours later, Sesshomaru began to dream. For him to sleep was rare but to dream, well those dreams he did have were few and far between. This one, like all dreams, a combination of that which is well known and that which is surreal. Sesshomaru was standing in a meadow, Rin was picking flowers, and Jaken was no where to be seen. Suddenly Rin began to laugh, looking for the source of her laughter, Sesshomaru saw his brother and his brother's friends standing on the far side of the meadow.

"They're waaiiting Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin sang with her usual boisterous glee.

Ah yes, he'd come here for a reason. Sesshomaru almost smiled as he moved towards the group. He drew Tokijin and readied himself for battle. They came at him then, and their numbers grew until he was fighting against many opponents. He slashed at their suddenly misty bodies but each time he did so their faces moved and he was left with nothing.

Finally, it was just him. Him and the Taijiya. He watched as she circled around him. Graceful, powerful, at last she reached him and the dream shifted. The heat he had felt in battle changed. It rose in its intensity as once again they fought. Fighting this time with mouths, and arms. The world seemed to focus as the heat continued rising. He brought her closer feeling her, tasting her. It was intoxicating, she was so lean, so sensual. The heat continued to throb…

Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open. Breathing slightly faster than normal he rose to his feat and with a slight shake in his step, walked quickly to a nearby stream. Splashing the cold water on his face he waited for the effects of the dream to ware off. As his breathing returned to normal, and the heat dissipated from between his legs, he considered his dream, or maybe nightmare.

It was… mortifying to say the least. He was not some sex starved youth to go fantasizing about every pretty thing he saw. Besides the Taijiya was a human. A human! Slowly, Sesshomaru felt the shock drain away and the humiliation set in. What he'd seen, what he'd felt was just, just wrong. Sticking his whole head in the frigid stream, he tried to rationalize with himself. The Taijiya was a relatively attractive female yes? He'd be lying if he said different. He'd been thinking about her shortly before dozing off right? Right. See, matter of circumstance, nothing more.

Shaking the water from his hair, Sesshomaru looked at the sky. Hmm, just a little after dawn, Rin and Jaken would have to be woken soon. Walking, back to camp, Sesshomaru carefully planned out the events of the day doing everything in his power to forget about his highly embarrassing night time visions.

Several hours later,

Rin walked along next to AhUn. It was good to see the sun again. Inhaling deeply she silently appreciated the miracle that was spring. The flowers were back and she couldn't wait to start making her bouquets and wreathes again. Maybe Lord Sesshomaru would let them stop in a field today. She certainly hoped so. Looking up at her Lord, her eyes once again took in his appearance. The way he walked, the clothes he wore, his long, wet hair. Wait a second, wet hair? Oh well, she thought, maybe Sesshomaru-sama decided to take a bath.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the second chapter.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own InuYasha or anything remotely resembling InuYasha. Now, on with the story.

Sango watched as the water in her cupped hands slowly leaked away. She couldn't help but imagine it was her life, slowly trickling out through unseen cracks. Lifting another handful, she finished refreshing herself and stood up. It was a sunny day, already warming with the dawn; the fresh, moist feel of spring now replacing the chill of winter. To many people it would be a good day; a strong, new day, but for Sango, it was just one more meaningless part of her seemingly empty existence.

Why? She thought, why me? Am I not good enough? Am I not worthy of even the barest shred of happiness? Oh fate was cruel alright, with a twisted sense of humor to boot. Sango sighed and made her way to the path that led back to Kaede's village, just as it would always lead back to Kaede's village, just as she would always follow it. It seemed all her actions had become routine since they'd defeated Naraku, and everything had become pointless since, since… No, she refused to think about that. The pain was still to raw.

Passing the rice fields, and entering the village, Sango watched as the villagers went about their business. She watched with stabs of envy, as mothers led their children by the hand, doing chores, or chatting with friends. Oh didn't their life seem good. So warm, so complete, surrounded by their families as they were. With that thought the pain that Sango always carried now, seemed to escalate. She had no real family and by the looks of things it was unlikely she ever would. In her opinion, the truly galling part was that she had been so close too, so close to achieving some small semblance of peace. In a matter of months though, it had all changed.

Three months previously

Sango sat outside the hut mending her armor and keeping one eye on the road. Miroku was due back at any time now and Sango was anxious to have him back. Before he had left to perform an exorcism in a nearby town, Sango had held him, and kissed him with the sort of hurry-back-home-for-more type kiss. Sango was most definitely looking forward to more. 

It was amazing, she thought, to love like this. She'd loved her family of course, but this was different. It was thrilling, an endless run of heightened emotions. That stirring, swooping feeling deep inside. Sango felt like she could just float away on that feeling. Being with Miroku, hearing his voice, and seeing his smile, helped to dull her heartache. When she dreamt about Kohaku, he was always there to sooth her in her anguish. To Sango, it seemed like everything was alright again.

As the day went on, the sun sank lower and lower in the sky, until finally, it was a great, red orb perched on the edge of the horizon. It was at this moment that Sango spied Miroku rounding the first bend in the path, staff clanking and robes swishing. In an instant her insides burst into excited flutters. Nearly dropping the basket she'd been holding, she ran at him, embracing with as much emotion as she could muster after their nearly three days of separation. Much to her surprise however, he did not return her affection with the bone crushing she'd been expecting. Puzzled, Sango looked into his face and saw distress as well as… sorrow? What could be wrong? What could have happened to make his eyes, those beautiful, indigo eyes go cloudy like that?

"Miroku?" Sango questioned, "What…"

"We, I," he struggled with his words, "I need to tell you something."

It disturbed Sango to here his usually laughing voice so concerned but she replied as firmly as ever. "Alright, let's go inside then."

Once inside and seated, Miroku fixed her with an intense stare, as though taking in everything about her as well as steeling himself to say something.

At last he said, "Sango, you know how I've had, er, relations with a number of women in the past right?"

"Yes," she replied slowly, feeling her trepidation mounting with each passing second.

"Well," he continued, "as it happens, I met one such woman in the next town over and well, I, as it turns out she, she…" he trailed off there looking for all the world like every word was costing him an enormous price.

Now Sango's worry was turning into fear. She just had to know what had happened. "Go on," she urged.

Taking a deep breath, Miroku met her eyes once more and continued with his story or perhaps confession. "She, has a child and…"

At that point Sango interrupted, "and it's yours," she said. 

"Yes," was all he replied.

A silence descended then, spiraling horribly, blanketing them both. After several minutes, Sango forced her now reluctant mouth to ask, "What are you going to do?" The question was futile though. She knew, since the moment she'd seen his face that day she had known what his course of action would be.

Miroku's response was quiet and choked, "Sango," he said, "Sango, I, I love you. I love you so much it, it hurts me to say this but I…"

"I know," she said, "I know what you have to do. You wouldn't be the Miroku I love if you didn't."

He took her in his arms then, just as the tears started to flow down her face. For a long while that sat there, together, as the stars began to move across the sky. Finally, they drew apart and looked at each other. As Sango wiped the remnants of tears from her face and eyes, she was surprised to see Miroku doing the same. Suddenly, with the realization that he was suffering just as much as her, the pain seemed to worsen. It just wasn't fair, she thought, that fate should always interfere like this.

"Listen Sango," Miroku said abruptly, "I don't want you to think I'm just casting you off, because this woman, Mai, is, well she was living with her grandmother but her grandmother has died and now she has no where else to go. I can't just leave my daughter on the streets," he was babbling now, "I mean now that everything's over and the curse is lifted and I can actually have a life, I've got to take responsibility for the things I've done. I've got to stop screwing around, not that I've been screwing around with you, but I've got to own up to my mistakes."

Before he could continue, Sango interrupted, "It's okay Miroku, you don't have to explain. I understand." It was true, she did understand but that didn't stop the horrible wrenching feeling deep within her gut. It was like someone had stabbed her with her own knife. "Miroku?" she said after a moments pause, "before you go, will you kiss me? One last time?"

Silently, he bent his head to comply with her request, giving her one last, searing kiss. In that moment she tried, desperately like a drowning man clinging to life, to grasp every sweet memory of Miroku she could, and hold it close. After all, this would probably be the last time she could be with him as a lover rather than a friend or neighbor as she was likely to be soon. She knew this would be the last time she'd would be able to kiss him and hold him. Hell, it might very well be the last time she kissed anyone. At 21 she was well past marriageable age.

At long last Miroku broke away and looked at her with such pain, such remorse, such love, that it almost made her cry again. She wouldn't though, she wouldn't give in and sob. Things had happened and tears couldn't change them.

Rising to his feet, Miroku met her gaze with that same horrible expression. "I have to go," he said.

Getting to her feet as well, Sango embraced him one last time at watched as he left the house. When he had disappeared from view, she turned around, blew out the lamp and went to bed. As she lay there, alone in the dark, she thought once again about all the good things that had happened between them; about his kisses, his smiles, about how it had felt to listen to his breathing after they'd made love. About how complete he'd made her feel. A long while later, Sango finally drifted off to sleep, her cheeks still wet, and her heart still aching.

The weeks that followed were hard for Sango. Miroku had brought his daughter and her mother to come and live with him. Sango was now staying with Kaede. Mai, the woman with whom Miroku had had the affair, turned out to be a small, street-wise woman with long, dark hair and even darker eyes. Her daughter Kaoru, was a boisterous 4 year old, who seemed to have inherited both her father's looks and gift with words. Try as she might, Sango couldn't find it within herself to resent either of them. It wasn't their fault, from what she'd heard it had been Miroku's idea. Miroku who was just refusing to let his daughter go hungry.

Sango sighed and sat down outside Kaede's hut watching Kaoru play tag with Shippo. There was a time when their antics would have amused her but not now. Nothing seemed to be getting through to her. Demon slaying had lost its color leaving Sango to watch with numb detachment as her friends went about their daily business. Overall, Sango was thoroughly depressed.

Quite suddenly, a shadow fell across the ground in front of Sango. Looking up she saw Mai, who, surprisingly seemed to be talking to her. "Huh?" she said having completely missed whatever it was Mai had said.

Mai just smiled. "I said, may I sit with you?"

"Oh," Sango answered still a little bewildered, "um, of course." She was however, able to scoot over quite gracefully making room on the bench for the other woman.

"Ahhhh," came Mai's relieved sight, "that's better. I tell ya, washing clothes all day sure reminds ya where yer muscles are and if I have to sew up one more ripped kimono I'm gonna let Kaoru run around stark naked." At this she sighed again and leaned back against the wall of the hut. " 'Course, I can't blame her, childhood's for havin ain't it."

Sango only nodded and rested her head against the wall as well.

After a while, Mai spoke again. "Ya know, Sango, I gotta tell ya. I really admire the way you've been takin' all this. If it had been me, there'd a been a lot more screamin and smashin. I mean, I pretty much ruined yer life and don't even bat an eyelash. That shows real strength in my opinion. Makes me feel pretty shitty too I can tell ya." 

Through all this Sango had remained silent. She hadn't really considered Mai's point of view. Sango would feel guilty too if their situations had been reversed. Lost in thought, she almost missed Mai's next words.

"It's kinda ironic ya know."

Following her gaze Sango saw she was looking at Kaoru.

Mai's eyes were distant now, and just a little bit sad. "Some days I would give almost anything to go back in time and change things. To go back and tell myself not to flirt with all the handsome boys that came through the village. Especially, the charming monk types, but if I did that than Kaoru'd have never been born and I can't think of anything in the world that's more wonderful than her. Try as I might I just can't blame her for my mistakes."

As Mai grew silent, Sango looked at her, really looked at her, and saw dark eyes that were much to old for her young face. She saw hands that were already callused and slightly wrinkled from long days and hard work. She saw a woman who had grown up much to fast.

" 'Course," Mai said suddenly interrupting Sango's visual ponderings, "you know as well as I do that life can be a real bitch."

From the way she'd said it, Sango couldn't help but laugh at the statement. Oh she knew alright.

As their humor died away, Mai looked at Sango intently, one strand of dark hair falling into her face. "I really gotta envy you Sango," she said, "you've got so much freedom. I mean if you wanted to you get up and go where ever you wanted and there'd be nothing to stop you."

Sango smiled ruefully, "Oh I don't know," she said, "what's freedom if you're all alone?"

"Alone?" Mai looked confused.

"Yes," said Sango, "a while back, before I'd met Miroku, InyYasha, and Kagome, I lost my family, as well as my village to… demon attacks," it was mostly true but she wasn't quite ready to share all of her painful history, "so essentially yes, I am alone." She gave a small, bitter-sweet, smile. "I had wanted to start a family of my own, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen."

"Why not?" asked Mai, "I mean yer strong, and smart, and beautiful. Any man would be trippin over himself to have you."

Sango just smiled sadly, "I wish that were true," she said, "I really wish that were true."

"Ah cheer up," said Mai with slight grin, "all that stuff about the joys of child-birth is a load of crap anyway. I love Kaoru more than anything but I don't think she'll be getting a sibling anytime soon."

The two elapsed back into silence. Each seemingly lost in their own little world. Somewhere a bird called as the morning shifted into afternoon. The shrieks of delight emitting from Kaoru as she and Shippo harassed a helpless worm suddenly broke through Sango's day dream. Looking towards Mai she asked, her tone serious, "Was it hard? Raising Kaoru alone?"

"Mai seemed to consider it a moment before replying, "Well not so much at first, I lived with my grandmother see, and as a healer, people respected her, so they laid off. After she died though, oh, those were a bad couple of years, I was pretty much labeled a slut and cast out. We wandered from town to town, and I looked for work as much as possible." Her eyes became even darker as she recalled what were clearly unpleasant memories. "I was so scared," she said, "I was so afraid I'd wind up whoring myself out or that Kaoru wouldn't have enough to eat or, or who knew what else. I made the best of it though, I mean that's all ya can do in a bad situation. Moping wouldn't have put food in our stomachs or clothes on our backs. It woulda been selfish really."

Following this story, Sango couldn't help but be impressed. It must have taken a lot of determination to keep going. Their society was not a kind one to unmarried mothers. "You say I'm strong," she said after Mai was done.

"Yeah well, it's what you gotta do," said Mai standing up. "Listen I'd better take Kaoru and get lunch ready, you take care of yourself now." Then, much to Sango's surprise, Mai hugged her before collecting Kaoru and heading home.

Sango sat stunned for a few moments before she too stood up now thinking about lunch as well. She figured she'd go and mooch off Kagome as she didn't really feel like cooking, but just as she turned to go look for her friend, she heard her name being called by none other than Kagome herself.

"Sango!" she called, running along the path, brown hair bouncing slightly with each step, "Sango!" "What's up Kagome?" Sango asked, mildly surprised at her friends rather frantic tone.  
"Whew," Kagome wheezed as she skidded to a halt and bent double. "Ah, Sango, we, huff, we, wheeze, need you to exterminate a demon." Sango was slightly confused, she'd been expecting something worse, "Is that all?" she said.  
"Well, no," answered Kagome, "I have to take InuYasha home to meet my family so we won't be able to go with you." "I thought InuYasha had already met your family," said Sango. 

At this Kagome cringed slightly. "My immediate family yes, but this time it's my whole family. All my aunts, uncles, cousins and such. They're coming to the shrine for a sort of reunion and also to meet my new fiancé. Oh god, I still haven't figured out what I'm going to tell them all. I mean InuYasha isn't the sort of man most girls bring home is he." "Don't worry about it," said Sango, puzzling for a moment about the meaning of 'fiancé' before giving Kagome what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "InuYasha is perfectly charming once you get used to him; and I'll take care of the demon no problem." "Thanks Sango," said Kagome with a pained grimace, "that's nice of you to say but we both know that 'charming' and 'InuYasha' are as good as opposites. You're sure about the demon though? I could ask Miroku if you wanted…" "No," came Sango's sharp reply, "I'm sure I can handle it, just tell me where to go." "Well if you're sure," Kagome said slightly warily, "you've been kind of down lately is all." "Kagome, I've been fighting demons since I was a child, of course I'm sure," said Sango rolling her eyes ever so slightly. Kagome smiled then, looking quite relieved. "Right," she said, "it's in the next village over and I think the man said it was a spider of some kind." "I'll go tonight," Sango replied already planning out a strategy.  
"Oh thank you Sango," said Kagome gratitude shining in her eyes, "the man seemed so desperate and I wanted to go myself but this whole thing with my family, well, I'm just glad you think you can handle it." Turning away, she hurried off, most likely in search of InuYasha.  
Figuring she'd have some left over rice and then head out, Sango entered the cool shade of Kaede's hut. Mai was right, she thought, all you can do in a bad situation is make the best of it. Life didn't stop just because it didn't go the way she wanted it to. She'd either have to get back into the flow of things and pray for better luck, or loose whatever hope she had left. Feeling her resolve grow as she maneuvered around the small space, Sango felt as though in some small way, she was starting over. After all, she wasn't a quitter, she was strong and she'd prove it, starting with this spider.

Wow, second chapter done, that's impressive, for me at least. I don't think the grammar's too good though. Ah well, I shall leave such comments for my reviewers hint, hint Anyway, these first two chapters have just been primarily character building chapters, introducing us to Sango and Sesshomaru while giving what I hope is a probable reason for Sango's separation from Miroku. I don't like it when fics that pair Sango and Sesshomaru either ignore Miroku entirely or turn him into such a total fuck-up that Sango leaves him. I know the whole scenario I've created isn't that much more realistic but, I really do like Miroku.  
Actually, right now I'm considering doing a spin-off about him, Mai and their relationship. Originally Mai and Kaoru were just going to be convenient plot devices but now they've actually developed some personality. Heh, oh well, we'll see what happens. Also, I'm sure you all are also wondering why this is rated 'R' as it seems pretty tame but trust me, things are about to go to hell. Next chapter: we meet the antagonist, who by the way is a real piece of work, but I'm not sure yet if Sango and Sesshomaru will actually have any interaction. Until next time, WoD 


	3. Chapter 3

And so I present to you, gentle reader, chapter three. I apologize for the tardiness but life is a busy affair.

Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to admit, I do not own InuYasha.

Sesshomaru strolled along at a relaxed pace, although never would he term it as a stroll. Saunter perhaps, but never stroll. After all, this was just routine patrol, nothing to hurry about, and besides, the slower pace suited Rin. Despite his traumatic morning, it had turned into a surprisingly good day, the air had become warm and fragrant, and there was a sense of peacefulness surrounding them. For once, Rin and Jaken were not arguing but walking sedately on either side of AhUn.

Rin especially, seemed distracted, brown eyes staring off into space, ponytail bobbing slightly, she walked along as though in a trance. Sesshomaru, for his part couldn't imagine what she would need to consider so deeply. His warning that morning about staying close hadn't been harsh; but then again he knew little about the minds of human children. Turning back to his surroundings he opened up his senses, letting the sounds and smells of the woodland register in his, if he said so himself, finely tuned nose and ears. Yes, he thought, everything was indeed peaceful.

All at once, the wind picked up, cool and sharp in contrast to the warm spring day. A tiny shiver passed through Sesshomaru, not because of the wind but because of the smell it carried. It wasn't really a smell, it was more as though the wind had blown through a malevolent aura and had picked up flecks of its evil while passing. Sesshomaru did not like it. Whatever it was, every nerve in his body was now telling him to get as far away from it as possible. Sesshomaru, however, rarely listened to his body, or anyone else for that matter. Swiftly turning, he stared directly at Jaken and commanded in his most businesslike voice, "Take Rin and go, I shall return when I am finished with this."

Jaken, as it transpired, did not reply or complain, but stared right back and nodded his assent. It seemed that the strange evil feeling had crept upon him as well, widening his eyes and turning his knuckles white where they gripped his staff. Only Rin had anything to say.

"When do you think you'll be back Sesshomaru-sama?" this one question, spoken in barely a whisper would normally have been left unanswered but Rin looked genuinely frightened. She always worried when Sesshomaru went anywhere without her but this time the furrow in her brow and the stiffness in her spine spoke of something more. It was this perhaps, that spurred Sesshomaru towards an answer.

"Soon, Rin, soon," was the extent of it though.

Turning around, he strode deeper into the glade. Ignoring the chill in his soul, he silently prepared himself for what ever it was he was going to meet.

Arisu sighed a contented sigh and looked around. This was her favorite glade, not only did it house some of her more potent herbs but she felt it was somehow inspirational. After so many years the dark, green shadows had become so steeped in her aura that now they seemed to whisper her thoughts. Yes, this place was part of her, and now it would help her determine the next step in her life's work. Closing her dark, calculating eyes, she smiled, feeling him approach. Her latest target was a quiet one indeed, but such power, she would enjoy breaking him. Him, just like all the others before, she would ensnare him in her trap and like a spider, paralyze him before sucking his spirit dry. Then her revenge would continue just as it always would. Sensing that he was at last in the clearing, Arisu slowly turned around.

There he stood in all his glory, such a paragon of demonic power. Oh how she hated that arrogance which seemed to be permanently ingrained in the very nature of demons. Still worse, though, this one was male making him in her opinion perhaps the single most vile creature in existence.

"You're certainly a pretty one," she said at last, a hint of a smile underlying her words as she surveyed his silver hair, and pristine white robes.

His reply was curt, "Human, you are trespassing upon my lands."

"Not very polite though, I see," by now her mirth was even more audible. Walking towards him, she made as though to touch him but stopped when he swatted her hand away.

Sesshomaru for his part did not like this woman. Although shocked at first to discover that such malevolent power was emanating from one so seemingly harmless; the touch of insanity gleaming in her black eyes spoke of power and proved that she was indeed a credible foe. Observing her closely, Sesshomaru found that every single part of her from her ornate if old fashioned kimono to her long, gleaming hair seemed to be fused with malice. On top of that, she clearly thought herself superior to him, mocking his threats and laughing when he brushed off her hand as though it were a gnat.

Drawing his sword, Sesshomaru addressed the strange woman, "Know your place human. Your insult will not be taken lightly and I would therefore suggest you leave." instead of inspiring fear however, this statement was met by yet another sarcastic remark.

"Oh? But I just got here, you don't mean to make me leave all ready?" she said, painted lips twisting into a smirk.

It took a moment for Sesshomaru to realize that she had said this without once opening her mouth. Although his face betrayed none of his surprise, it was clear enough that she now had some form of access to his mind.

"Yes my Lord Sesshomaru, I can hear your thoughts, and not just that, I can see into the furthest reaches of your tiny little mind. With one touch, I can know exactly what goes on in the depths of your twisted soul." This was said, or thought really, with the smirk still firmly in place, and her mad eyes dancing with delight.

At this point, Sesshomaru made to attack but the hand that held Tokijin, refused to move. It seemed she had somehow gained control of his body as well. All of a sudden, he was on his knees unable to so much as twitch. Rage was building in him, oh how he longed to reach out to her and claw her miserable head off, but no, he was stuck.

Slowly, almost lovingly, she placed her hand on his head, and again, he heard her, "That's right, bow before me. Bow like the retch you are, for I am Arisu and to me, all demons will submit."

It was then that Sesshomaru truly felt her inside his head for the first time. Not just the brush of her thoughts but her full invasive presence. If he could have, he would've clenched his teeth, but instead was forced to settle for resisting mentally. He would not let this psychotic bitch get the better of him. Focusing all his energy on repelling her presence, he retreated into himself and prepared to fight.

Yes, Arisu thought, fight me. Fight me until your strength runs out. She wanted to enjoy this. Bringing down the great demon lord Sesshomaru, who so resembled Sano. Sano the betrayer, and everything else she'd come to loathe. Smiling again, she delved deeper into his mind. This one certainly had a lot of issues. He kept his emotions walled tighter than a fortress but behind those walls she could feel them writhing, waiting to consume him. All she had to do was dismantle his defenses one by one.

Which one should she pick at first? He had so many insecurities. How about the sword, yes the sword first, then the past. First the brother, than the father, than the sister, and finally, both the mothers. Let him feel the old pain. Let him remember what it felt like to be replaced. She would keep this up constantly, make him drown in his own misery. For the very end, the grand finale if you will, she'd bring up the little human girl. Remind him of his woeful inadequacy as a guardian and of his hypocrisy. Carefully, she built him a cage, a cage inside his own mind.

Sesshomaru felt nothing, nothing but misery, pain and humiliation. It felt as though she were scraping the insides of his heart with a jagged rock and at every sore spot she came to she would prod it mercilessly. Every one of his failures was revisited, every weakness, every old hurt. He saw them all, InuYasha, his father, Rin, everything. It was sheer torture to lie there so helplessly. For every one of the emotional defenses and carefully constructed walls he'd built over the years, she tore down six; leaving him raw, and bleeding.

No, no, no, his mind screamed. No, no, no.

At last Arisu was satisfied. She'd felt his resistance break, shatter. Now all that remained was an empty shell, glassy eyed and limp, hers to do with as she pleased. What should she do with him? Circling his still form, she considered the issue. What could she do to cause him the most abject of emotional pain? Besides what she'd done already of course. Thinking back to all the memories she'd sifted through, she remembered some rather interesting images she'd seen, probably from a dream. Yes, that would be perfect. After all, he hated humans just as much as Sano did. Sneered at their so called weakness, and regarded them with the same contempt. Gently imparting her wishes into his now oh so broken and pliable mind, she watched as he rose to his feet and shot off. "Go," she said out loud, "go and show them all what an animal you are, and what a hypocrite." Turning and disappearing back into the forest, she couldn't help but feel the sweet weight of triumph settle in her breast.

Sango sighed as she continued down the path. It was approaching late afternoon and she had yet to reach the village she was headed for. Just as her thoughts turned dour however, she spied the first of the huts appearing round the bend. It wasn't a big village, just a collection of small brown dwellings set next to a river and it's defenses if any were sure to be minimal. As she approached, a man walked up to her, a look of intense agitation on his face.

"Are you the demon slayer?" he said, staring at Sango underneath his tanned and weathered brow.

"Yes," she replied simply, "I have come to help. What is the nature of your demon problem?"

Heaving what seemed to be a huge sigh of relief, the man addressed Sango again with what seemed to be a less severe manner. "It's a spider demon," he said, "and for several weeks now it has been causing us trouble. It's killed two people so far and has been preying on our livestock. People are becoming afraid to venture to far from home but we need to let our animals graze and go farther down the river to fish, so you see the problem."

"Yes," said Sango in assent, "what type of spider demon is it?"

"We don't know," said the man shaking his head sadly, "but it just seems to pop out of the ground."

"Ah," Sango murmured. That sounded like a trapdoor spider. Not particularly dangerous by themselves but the element of surprise made them nasty pests. "Where does this spider usually come from?" she said looking at the man.

In answer he merely pointed before saying, "Near that small clump of trees."

Shouldering Hiriakotsu, Sango called her thanks before heading off towards the indicated point. Hopefully, this wouldn't take long.

When she at last reached the dense patch of forest, she carefully shed her pack and proceeded forward with only her weapons. Taking quiet steps through the leaves Sango felt her pulse gradually increase. This was what she had spent so many hours training for, the hunt. If the spider was indeed a tunnel spider than it would have had to have made its nest in some kind of clearing, and sure enough, just a little ways into the trees; there was a bare patch of earth. Sango was on full alert now, knowing the entrance to the spider's lair would probably be concealed. It could even be using illusions.

Taking another survey of the clearing with her eyes, Sango concluded that there was no way to tell where the entrance to the tunnel was. She'd need someway to test it. Normally she'd drop a big rock off of Kirara's but at the moment Kirara wasn't with her. Sango wasn't entirely sure where Kirara was, she just knew that a few days ago she'd gone off on her own. Sango suspected she was looking for a mate but the thought of her best friend leaving her to go have children had only made her depression worse. Consequently, she hadn't given it much thought. Currently, she'd have to find another way to lure the spider demon from its home.

Looking around, Sango took hold of a large rock and tossed it into the middle of the clearing. Nothing happened. Evidently she'd need either more momentum or a bigger rock. After several more minutes of contemplation and thrown rocks, Sango had devised what was in her opinion a clever device out of a small sapling, and a hefty boulder. Bending the sapling down to the ground, holding it with her foot and then rolling the rock on to the tree served as a relatively efficient way to launch the boulder out into the clearing.

After trying this method a fair number of times, Sango felt the beginnings of frustration when at last, as the rock made contact with the ground the spider lunged up from its trap-like nest. As the spider lunged so did Sango. Throwing her Hiraikotsu as hard as she could, Sango was able to take off three of the Spider's legs in one go. It was wounded now, and as it attempted to scurry back to its hole, Sango moved again. Another hit, two more legs. Moving in for what was sure to be the kill, Sango was taken aback when the spider was able to propel itself towards her on its remaining legs. Sango was quicker though, and was able to draw her sword cleaving the demon in two. This effectively killed the spider but left Sango covered in it's slightly acidic, green blood. It was over, she'd slain the demon. All there was to do was collect her reward and go home. First though, she'd check for egg sacks.

The villagers were very grateful it transpired, and gave her several coins and some food as a reward. They all took it upon themselves to thank her again and again. All Sango wanted to do though was go to sleep, and take a bath as the blood was starting to smell.

Turning to a young woman, Sango was finally able to ask, "is there a place where I can bathe?"

The woman was a bit startled at first but answered quickly enough telling Sango that a little ways down the river there was a good spot for bathing although the water was sure to be a little cold.

Thanking her, Sango quickly turned from the excited crowd and made her way towards the river.

Sesshomaru was running now, over what seemed like miles and miles. He couldn't stop himself. It was as though he were merely a guest in his own body, watching from the background. That woman was controlling him now, moving his limbs through her sick little game. She had done it, she had made him weak, breaking his will to point where he couldn't even control his own legs. His very soul seemed to ache in the aftermath of her torture. Still, he continued to run.

(A/N) Ha ha ha! Yes another chapter! Wow I don't update regularly. So yeah, expect another couple of months break before the next one. Yes, well this chapter is all about getting things started, setting up the players if you will. Oh, and when Sess refers to Arisu as a 'psychotic bitch' that really sums things up nicely. I'll try to give her more motivation but that's basically what it boils down to. Anyhoo, leave a review, tell me what you think, at the moment I'm writing this purely for my own amusement but I can always be swayed by the power of suggestion.


	4. Chapter 4

And so I shall commence with chapter four, but alas, woe is me for I do not own Natasha. If you missed that, I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA!

The river, it transpired was a cold one, but Sango was willing to risk the chill if it meant being rid of the foul blood that was currently smeared over her head and clothing. Luckily, Sango had brought her regular clothing with her and would not need to put on her wet, and no doubt uncomfortable suit. Thank the gods for small favors, she thought, as she shed her smelly clothing and stepped into the frigid water.

After making a hasty exit from the brisk water, and drying off, Sango sat for a while on the grassy bank considering the events of the day. It had been a good if rather messy job; the demon had presented a challenge but hadn't been too difficult. Over all very satisfying work. Why then, did that hollow emptiness still seem to sit in the pit of her stomach? Why did her heart still seem to ache? Time, Sango thought, I still need more time. As this thought flitted across her mind, Sango's quiet ruminations were interrupted by a strange appearance.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a butterfly had landed on her knee. This struck Sango as odd and not least disturbing for it was still early for butterflies to be out and it was long after dusk. Raising a hand to shoo away the strange, iridescent creature, Sango was once again surprised to see it vanish as quickly as it had come. Eyes wide, Sango felt uneasiness creep up her spine. She was sure she hadn't imagined the insect and for all its delicateness and beauty it was rank with malevolence.

Dimly, Sesshomaru became aware that he was slowing down. Why, he didn't know. At last, after what seemed like hours of running his pace slowed to a walk. Perhaps, if his mind and heart hadn't ached so badly, Sesshomaru would have made note of his surroundings. He would have heard the river and smelt the nearby human settlement, but at the moment, all he was aware of was his own pain. He was approaching the river now, and there, sitting on the grassy bank drying her hair was the Taijiya. Briefly, his hazy mind registered her presence before drifting off again. His last semi-lucid thought was that she looked just like she had in his dream.

She hadn't heard him, but his presence was hard to miss. He practically radiated demonic energy and the butterfly had left her tightly strung. Rising carefully but quickly, Sango spun around reaching for her boomerang. There, striding silently from between the trees, came none other than, "Sesshomaru." It was barely a whisper but Sango's eyes had gone wide with shock. What the hell could he be doing here? Seemed to be the only thought running through her startled mind.

He continued moving; approaching her forcefully and directly. Meanwhile, Sango's instincts screamed for her to run, to run and not look back. As he came closer, Sango assessed him. He seemed normal enough, for Sesshomaru at any rate, swords, boa, long, silver everything. Yes, the only oddity was his presence here. When he had come within six feet however, she could see by the light of the gibbous moon that something was distinctly wrong with his eyes. Normally they were cold and calculating, the eyes of a predator. Now though, they were glassy, and seemingly vacant. It was a familiar expression, and somehow, Sango knew she'd seen it before. He continued his steady approach, one step, then another; suddenly it hit her, he looked just like Kagome had looked when she'd been possessed. Was that what was happening now? Had Sesshomaru been possessed?

With that thought, Sango leapt backwards and launched Hiraikotsu. She had to snap him out of this. If there was something out there that had possessed Sesshomaru of all people then that was bad. Her boomerang unfortunately seemed to have no effect. He'd simply sidestepped and batted it away as though it had been a fly. Then, in one graceful leap he was before her. Immediately Sango unsheathed her short sword and stabbed, not to kill but to try and wake him up. In this too though he evaded her catching her hand in his own forcing her to drop the sword.

For a few seconds she stood immobile, her mind desperately running through options and strategies. All of a sudden, a fire erupted within her accompanied by a lustful throbbing. Her pupils dilated and she suddenly found herself breathing hard. The only though in her mind was that she wanted to alleviate the horrible ache that had settled somewhere inside her, she wanted…him.

From the garden of her castle Arisu sighed and looked up at the night sky. She did hope her plan was going well. The timing had to be perfect after all as the butterfly's effects wouldn't last for long. Gazing at the moon, the sorceress smiled to herself, this if nothing else would surely break Sesshomaru completely.

Dimly, as though from a long way off, Sesshomaru slowly became aware once more. It wasn't true consciousness but more a kind of awareness. Things still seemed so hazy to his mind and his senses were still fogged. At first, he thought he was dreaming, the same dream he'd had before with the Taijiya. He could almost feel her below him, could almost smell her scent. Slowly, almost painfully he realized his fantasy had seemingly left the recesses of his mind. As his mind began to clear, Sesshomaru registered other things. The heat from between their bodies, the feel of her skin against his own and most terribly, a look of horror arising in her eyes.

A wind had sprung up, raising goose bumps along Sango's now entirely exposed arms and legs. She realized then that she must have cast off her yukata in her fit of passion. What had happened? She remembered trying to wake Sesshomaru up and then that burning desire. It had been lust as she had never felt it before. All those times she had felt her body react under Miroku's touch simply didn't match what she'd just felt. The unnatural nature of it did not escape her.

As she sat there, naked and shivering now the heat had dissipated, Sango felt only one question bubble inside her mind, why? Why did she react like that? Why did it happen? And Sesshomaru, what of him? Looking up at the demon lord, Sango was surprised to meet not a cold or angry glance, but one of pain, suffering, and…remorse? Slowly, almost gently, he lifted his clawed hand and let it brush across her cheek. Sango sat motionless, watching emotion after emotion flit across his face.

He'd had to touch her, just to see if she was real, to make certain he wasn't imagining things. Feeling his hand meet soft skin, Sesshomaru felt the knot in his stomach tighten yet another few notches. After all, here he was the Lord of the Western Lands sitting on the cold, hard ground after rutting like a common dog. With the Taijiya no less. That was particularly painful, the one human he'd felt any inklings of desire for was the one that had been used. He had no illusions as to what this had meant. It had been that witch's last attempt to brake him. Some sick, twisted part of his soul laughed at that, ultimately, the plan had worked for he was indeed broken.

It now seemed that every ache, every pain, that Sesshomaru had harbored within his soul had been cruelly exposed to some dark pit of agony. All the dignity he'd so preciously hoarded seemed like a joke now. He'd been subdued so easily by his own demons and memories of his past strength seemed little more than figments of his imagination. At last his thoughts returned to the taijiya, why hadn't she run away? He very much doubted she'd have endured that willingly. That sparked another horrible thought, had he raped her? Had he really sunk that low? Meeting her gaze, Sesshomaru was shocked to see pity shining out of her large, expressive eyes. Amazingly, her silent acknowledgement of his pain proved to be too much for the demon lord, as, for the first time in so many years, he began to cry.

Sango was equally startled when Sesshomaru broke down in front of her. Here was a being out of whom all she'd ever seen was dignity, grace, and unyielding composure. Somehow this strange behavior struck a chord in her heart. How long has it been since the last time he's cried? She wondered. Almost of their own accord, Sango's arms reached out and pulled the demon in front of her closer. Holding him like a child, she gently placed a hand on his silver head.

Had someone asked him only twelve hours ago, how'd he feel being coddled by a human woman, Sesshomaru probably would have killed them for the impudence of their question. Now though, he could not deny the fact that it was oddly comforting to be embraced in such a way. From where he was he could smell her skin, soft and sweet it was with a combination of all things her. Almost unconsciously, he leaned a little closer.

The two of them, demon and taijiya, remained that way for what seemed a very long time. All the while Sango gently stoked Sesshomaru's long, silver hair. At last Sango broke away and gently tilted Sesshomaru's face to meet her own. Speaking quietly but urgently she voiced her question. "Sesshomaru, who did this?"

At that Sesshomaru dropped her gaze. He supposed it would have come eventually. After all, she had a right to know why she had been used like that. Somehow, that didn't make telling the truth any more appealing. Sesshomaru heaved a sigh, figuring it was best to get it over with, and so raising his head and staring someplace past her shoulder, began his tale.

"I had been walking, I encountered a some source of evil power. I left to investigate. The power was emanating from a women. A sorceress it transpired. I tried to kill her, but I was subdued. She, did something to my mind." At this he hesitated. To recount events in such a way was yet another blow to his already mightily wounded pride. Nevertheless, he continued. "She used memories, old thoughts, feelings, emotions. I was made weak, she took control." With that, he at last met the Taijiya's eyes. "I'm sorry," and indeed he was, if it hadn't been for his infatuation with her, she wouldn't have been used.

"No," Sango said, eyes very bright, "it's that bitch who should be sorry." With that, she rose from her position on the ground and went to retrieve her clothing.

Sesshomaru, for his part, admired her bravery. She had stood, naked except for her pride, and had refused the shame or humiliation no doubt wished upon her. It was likely that sorceress had hoped she'd break as well adding to his torture. Already he'd debased himself with his actions shaming himself and the memory of his family. With that thought, he went to retrieve his own clothing. Donning his garments however, was little more that a sad reminder of what he'd been and what he was now.

Sango was mildly irritated that her slayer suit was still a bit damp, but it would have to do seeing as there was slaying to be done. She could tell that Sesshomaru had been through hell and back, and her own involvement added to her general feeling of anger. In his telling of events, Sesshomaru had been vague but it was clear enough they were up against a sorceress of considerable power. Considerable power or no, Sango didn't like being used and from the look of things, Sesshomaru would need something to focus on for the time being. Turning to said demon lord, who was now fully dressed, she called, "You coming?"

His reaction was to look up blankly and ask, "Coming where?"

Sango smiled a little before answering, "Where ever it was you saw that bitch last. It think we're entitled to a little revenge, don't you?"

Sesshomaru nodded slightly before moving slowly in the direction from which he'd come. At that moment any form of forward direction would be welcome. Inside, he felt so utterly lost.

"By the way," he heard from behind, "my name is Sango."

Sango, he thought, it was indeed a pretty name.

Kirara enjoyed flying by herself at night, feeling the wind through her fur and the moonlight on her back. She was pleased at the moment as her hunt for a mate had been successful. In a few months time she would be having litter of kittens. While this was a good thing, she did worry about how it would affect her relationship with her human companion. Suddenly, a cloud of worry encased the large feline's heart. She had the horrible and distinct impression that her friend was, at that moment in deep trouble. Changing her trajectory, Kirara began a frantic search for her friend. She very much hoped that she wasn't too late.

A/N Okay, sorry for the short chapter. It was incredibly hard to write. That being said, any feed back would be greatly appreciated. If there's stuff people feel needs to be addressed or loosed ends that need to be tied up I'd love to hear about them. Also, a big thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I love each and every one of you.

Oh, and if you are enjoying this fic, than I'd highly recommend **Soledad**, by Thunk. It is in essence, the quintessential Sango/Sesshomaru love story. I think I've read it about three times now just because it's so incredibly great. If you don't believe me go check it out and see for your self.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Hello! Hello! And welcome to the fifth chapter. My apologies for the late update. Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, (drum roll) the Disclaimer!

I, Witch of Darkness, do not own or hold any pretense of owning, InuYasha. Seriously though, the moment you've all been waiting for begins in the next paragraph.

Rin stared blankly at the tree in front of her. It had been a long time now since Lord Sesshomaru had left and that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was only getting worse. She wasn't sure exactly how long it had been but the sun had long since set and Jaken had already lit a small fire. Glancing up at her toad like companion, Rin received the distinct impression that he was worried about lord Sesshomaru as well. The small retainer's bulbous, yellow eyes were darting around nervously and his fingers were constantly tightening and un-tightening around his staff.

It was rather cold, Rin thought as she closed in around herself a little more, hugging her knees and scooting closer to the fire. At last after several minutes, Rin looked up towards Jaken and while nervously toying with a lock of brown hair voiced something of her concern. "Are you worried about him?" she asked.

"Of course not," snapped Jaken, "our Lord Sesshomaru is a great and powerful demon. Nothing could possibly hurt him." The anxious tilt to his eyes however, belied his forceful proclamation. He had sensed the evil and power of whatever it was his master had gone to face leaving a sick feeling of dread firmly lodged in his breast.

"Do you think we should go and look for him?" Rin asked, fear evident in her tone.

"No," said Jaken after a pause, "we would do little to help."

Rin was not particularly comforted by this but she remembered the instances in the past when people had tried to hurt her to get to Sesshomaru. As much as she wanted to be by her lord's side, she didn't want to become a hindrance either. Jaken was probably right, it would be best to stay out of the way. Of course, it would also be wise to take care of themselves too. These woods weren't very safe and eventually they'd exhaust the naturally occurring food stuffs available to them as there were few to begin with. She said as much to Jaken and he seemed surprised at her assessment of the situation but agreed as well. When the morning came, they would seek a more secure environment.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Kohaku opened his eyes blearily, wincing slightly as the sun poked through the crack of his half closed eyelids. Some days he questioned the wisdom of getting up at all, but then again it wasn't as if he could spend the whole day in a tree, or the forest for that matter. Taking a moment to orient himself he quickly jumped down from his perch only to discover that the bag in which he carried his few belongings had remained in the tree. Resolutely, he climbed back up to collect it. Kohaku sighed, he really hated sleeping in trees. Unfortunately, his resentful thoughts were cut short as his stomach gave a particularly loud growl. Sighing again, Kohaku began to pick his way nimbly through the dense, green foliage towards a nearby stream. With luck, he could have fish for breakfast.

Later, when the sun had risen yet higher, warming the air, and Kohaku had finished his small, rather unsatisfying meal, (he hadn't caught a fish but had found some berries and wild mushrooms) the young man reached the nearby road and continued his journey. Not that it was really a journey, he thought, to be on a journey you had to be going somewhere. Kohaku was just wandering from village to village begging what food he could in exchange for odd jobs and scrounging off the land. It was hard but he didn't really have much else to do. He didn't have any family or skills to speak of; in fact, he didn't have much of anything.

Silently, he pondered his state of being. It was all very strange he concluded, about a year ago he could remember waking up in a forest with nothing but the clothes on his back. His memory up to that point was distinctly hazy. Just flashes here and there. Sometimes a pair of red eyes or a feather flying through the air, sometimes a man laughing malevolently, and sometimes a woman's face. This woman was very pretty and always caused a feeling of warmth to swell in his chest. In every village he came to he couldn't stop himself from looking for her. He didn't know why he felt such attachment to a woman he barely remembered, just that somehow, he knew she was important.

Ah well, he thought, there wasn't much he could do about it now. His life such that it was, was that of a wanderer; so for now he'd be content to do just that. Looking up at the brilliantly blue sky, Kohaku couldn't help but enjoy the warm spring air and the cool, gentle breeze as it played with his hair and clothes.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

Rin was tired. That was all there was to it. It had, after all been a very long day consisting mostly of walking. At first Jaken had objected to the use of a nearby road but the surrounding forests were much too dense to allow for easy travel. If any passing human found objection with the presence of a rather large, two headed dragon, that was their problem. This road, at any rate probably did make travel much smoother but nevertheless, Rin was feeling that weariness peculiar to long hikes creeping into her bones. Fortunately, they would soon be stopping for the night.

Looking up, Rin found she had to shield her eyes from the glare of the sinking sun and was for a moment unaware of the presence in front the small party. When her eyes adjusted to the glare however, her attention was immediately grabbed by a tall form making his way towards them. A few feet further, and this figure revealed himself to be a young man or boy really, perched on the cusp of manhood. Although his back was slightly bent after what must have been a long day of traveling, he had a long and gangly frame, clearly be-freckled even at a distance. It was not this that held Rin's attention though; for all intents and purposes he was just another traveler, dusty and care worn, but Rin felt, as soon as his face became visible a tug of familiarity. Slowly, as they drew nearer and nearer this strangely familiar figure, Rin became more and more sure as to his identity. It had been a very long time ago that they had met, but it was a memory that still remained vivid.

On the whole, Rin didn't remember the people she had met here and there on her travels with Sesshomaru. This was do mainly to the fact that they rarely saw them again and as a consequence, Rin had very few friends. The meeting with Kohaku, however brief, had been important as in the depths of her childlike mind, Rin had named him a friend. It was this remembrance that prompted Rin to abandon AhUn's reigns and approach the boy at a respectable trot, all tiredness aside.

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Kohaku had been allowing his mind to wander freely when, without warning, his thoughts were jerked from their day dream by the voice of a young girl. Looking down, Kohaku was slightly shocked to see, no more than two feet from him, what was presumably the same girl who'd shouted to him. The puzzling factor of all this was that this girl had called him by name but Kohaku couldn't remember seeing her before in his life. Of course, he couldn't remember much of his life anyway, so that wasn't saying much. "Uh, do I know you?" he asked tentatively, as he said it, a small part of him began to desperately hope that he did know this girl and that she would in fact be a link to his past.

"Don't ya remember?" the girl asked frowning slightly; confusion entering her bright, brown eyes. "I'm Rin," she said, "we met awhile ago but I thought for sure you would have remembered."

"Oh well it's not that I've forgotten you per say," Kohaku was quick to placate, "it's just that I've forgotten most everything else so, I guess, well what I mean to say is that it's not just you I can't remember. It's, well, everything." A wistful note had crept into his voice as he'd finished his explanation. He looked up quickly though, flashing a smile at Rin hoping to show that it was all okay. Unfortunately, looking up also meant he got an eyeful of Rin's traveling companions and consequently a significant shock.

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"So ever since then I've traveled all around with Lord Sesshomaru. He has a house but he doesn't stay there often; Jaken and AhUn come with us as well." It was several hours later and Rin was recounting the tale of her life with Sesshomaru, or Lord Sesshomaru as she called him.

Kohaku certainly wasn't complaining, after all, it was an astounding story although probably embellished in some places and he'd gotten a free meal out of it too. The best part was though that Rin definitely knew him all though he, for the life of him couldn't remember her from anywhere. "So, uh," he began, "this Lord Sesshomaru is a demon too then?"

"Yes!" said Rin excitedly as though this simple fact carried with it all the secrets of the universe and beyond, "He's a taiyoukai actually, and he's really powerful. He's a dog demon although you wouldn't really guess just by looking. His brother has dog ears though and even though Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like him much I think they're cute."

She'd said all this very quickly and it took a moment for Kohaku to absorb this new information. He almost didn't hear her start speaking again.

"Jaken and AhUn are demons too but they're not as strong."

At that Jaken had looked up and seemed about to remark on the flippant way Rin had made her statement as though his strength was not to be taken lightly but seemed to decide on second thought that it was better if he didn't say anything.

"So where is Se…er Lord Sesshomaru now?" Kohaku asked politely. His words however, were met with a quick and slightly anxious glance shared between Jaken and Rin.

"Well," Rin began slowly, "we don't actually know where he is right now. He said he had some stuff to do and that he'd be back for us later but…" she trailed off, "well I'm kinda worried about him. Jaken is too but he won't say so."

"Ah," was all Kohaku could think to answer with.

"Anyway," said Rin, bright smile back in place, "why don't you stay with us in the mean time?"

Jaken looked askance at her words. He'd objected to Kohaku joining them even for dinner but all he could do was watch in horror as Kohaku graciously accepted the offer.

Afterwards, when they had all settled down to sleep, Kohaku thought about the rather extraordinary events of the day. Just hours ago he'd been wandering aimlessly and now, well he was still wandering aimlessly but this time with a small girl, an imp and a two headed dragon. The dragon was a bit disconcerting but Rin had assured him that AhUn was perfectly friendly. Rin hadn't yet given him much detail on the circumstances of their previous meeting but he hoped he'd receive more information in time. In any case, Rin herself was very friendly and seemed to be bursting with a general feeling of warmth and love, especially towards her Lord Sesshomaru. Kohaku hoped the demon lord wouldn't have too many objections to his presence but looking at Rin, Kohaku supposed he had to be pretty nice if he let a human girl follow him around. With that final thought, he drifted off the sleep.

IIIIIIIIII

As Sesshomaru walked the forest floor seemed to move beneath him like a river or stream. It seemed to flow, to gently slip away from his feet as though it were water and not solid earth. His eyes also, seemed unable to focus. His movement for the most part was automatic simply following his own scent until he could feel the aura of the glade. It was as though thought had shut down. Only the regular breathing and movements of the Taijiya, _Sango, _his mind added, kept him anchored in reality.

Finally, after traveling for several hours, Sango signaled to Sesshomaru that they should rest. In actuality, he wasn't in very much need of rest but, he reminded himself, the human body tired easily. They found a small, slightly brambly clearing and sat down each attending to their needs. Neither bothered to light a fire. Sesshomaru stared blankly at the forest canopy, his thoughts at last returning.

'Oh how the mighty have fallen,' a little voice seemed to say inside his head. In his heart and mind he felt ruined, like someone had torn a gaping hole in his chest that would never heal. For so long he'd enjoyed absolute control over his thoughts and feelings and now, well, he, Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, had actually cried in the arms of a human woman. Thinking of said human woman, Sesshomaru looked over at Sango's sleeping form. He couldn't really begrudge her for her actions, she had offered him help when he'd needed it. It was more the fact that he needed help in the first place that he found so galling.

Again, his eyes flicked towards Sango, towards the place where she sat, leaning against a tree. In slumber her face was peaceful, serene even, but her hand still clutched the handle of her giant boomerang. Ever the warrior, he thought. A horrible feeling of guilt seeped into him as he looked at her. Anger burned as well, anger towards the sorceress who had reduced him to such a pathetic state, and anger towards himself for letting it happen. The feelings of guilt did not leave either adding to Sesshomaru's annoyance. He did not like feeling guilty especially towards humans and his feelings towards humans were becoming all the more murky lately. He'd always held them as weak and insignificant but between himself and Sango, he seriously had to question which of the two was in fact weaker.

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As Sango had settled down and let her mind wander, it seemed to turn almost directly to the events of the past few hours. They had, to be blunt, pissed her off. Sango was not accustomed to being weak and she didn't like being used. She had been used after all, in a way she considered unforgivable. Sango didn't remember much of what had happened after she'd succumbed to the effects of that sorceress's spell but later, coming to her senses with Sesshomaru pressing her flat against the ground, both of them devoid of clothing; it was glaringly obvious. Even now, the slight soreness between her legs stood as testimony to the reality of events. Some sick little part of her even found the irony of the situation rather funny, a demon slayer fucking a demon. Life really was a bitch. It was the sorceress however, that was going to pay.

As her mind drifted further and further towards sleep, it didn't occur Sango that pursuing vengeance against a woman who was powerful enough to subdue Sesshomaru was perhaps not a wise decision. The thought of doing something, anything at all, seemed to fill her with a fire. After drifting for so long she finally had a purpose, a goal. Another touch of irony graced her situation with that thought, she finally had some meaning in her life but at the expense of so much misery.

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That was how Kirara found them sometime later, her mistress asleep against a tree, and the dog resting against another. As she swooped in lower Kirara was further disturbed to smell the dog's scent clinging to her mistress's clothes and body. Clearly he'd been touching her and knowing that her mistress had been in trouble, Kirara suspected the worst. Silently she landed, and without a moments hesitation went strait for the dog's throat.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes as the cat demon lunged for him, ducking and jumping he evaded the hissing and snarling cat. Turning, he prepared for another attack. Sango had by now awoken and looked askance between the cat demon and Sesshomaru.

"Kirara!" she called, running forward all traces of her recent slumber gone, "Stop! He is not an enemy!"

The large cat turned towards her mistress but did not abandon her threatening position.

"Please Kirara," said Sango speaking soothingly but firmly, "Don't attack, he was a victim too. We seek vengeance together."

With one last suspicious look towards Sesshomaru, Kirara transformed and was immediately picked up by Sango.

"You found a mate then?" Sango asked gently stroking the small cat. Kirara in return mewled what was presumably ascent. "Well then," Sango continued, "you'd better stay out of the thick of the fighting. We don't want to hurt your kittens."

Sesshomaru noticed the wistful tone in Sango's voice at her last sentence. It was subtle, but despite her smile she seemed slightly sad.

IIIIIIIIIIII

InuYasha sighed as the wind of the feudal era hit his face. Despite the food and the video games, the air in Kagome's time was very bitter making prolonged stays there rather unpleasant. Of course, as far as unpleasant things from Kagome's time went the air hardly compared to Kagome's extended family. He shuddered slightly at the memory of the evening.

"It wasn't that bad InuYasha, "came Kagome's reproachful voice.

"Wasn't that Bad?" was his incredulous reply, "Your family's nuts Kagome. Your cousin Aiko for one and don't get me started on your great-aunt Suzumi."

Kagome, for her part winced slightly as the picture of her grandfather's sister hurling ofudas and other spells at InuYasha, convinced he had tricked Kagome into marrying him using demon magic, came floating into her mind. "Okay," she agreed, "they're a little eccentric."

"Keh," InuYasha snorted as he started picking the jelly out of his hair. The jelly that little Aiko had put there…somehow. "I seriously thought your uncle was going to attack me," he said.

"Well," came Kagome's hesitant reply, "I am his brother's only daughter so I guess he feels a little protective."

"You mean he feels guilty about what happened to your dad," InuYasha said shrewdly. Kagome only nodded.

Finally, they made their way to Kaede's hut. InuYasha was most pleased to be back as it meant he could put the whole ordeal out of his mind.

"Sango!" Kagome called entering the hut, "We're back." There was no answer. "That's funny," Kagome said, "I thought for sure she'd be back by now."

Suddenly Miroku and Shippo came bursting into the hut followed closely by Kaede. The look on their faces made it plain that they couldn't find Sango either. Shippo bounced off Miroku's shoulder and latched onto Kagome.

"Kagome," he said, seemingly close to tears, "Sango hasn't come back from slaying the demon yet, it shouldn't have taken very long at all, we were expecting her back a little after sundown and it's almost midnight," he was babbling now, "and I'm worried Kagome, what if something happened to her?"

"Shhh, it's okay Shippo," Kagome soothed, "we'll find Sango."

"Yeah," said InuYasha, "come on Kagome, let's go."

Kagome's eyes widened a little when she realized he meant right then. "Hold on," she replied breathlessly, "I'll get my arrows." With that, they set off into the night, InuYasha sniffing all the way for a trace of Sango's scent.

A/N: Yay! At long last the fifth chapter. It was okay, I thought, although a lot of the story seems to consist of people sitting in clearings thinking about their life problems. If you guys are getting sick of clearings tell me and I'll have them sit in fields or on rocks instead.

Also, you may have noticed that I stopped using the Japanese honorifics. Sesshomaru is now Lord Sesshomaru as opposed to Sesshomaru-sama. Frankly, my fan girl Japanese just isn't that good so I'm thinking about going all the way and just using the English versions for things. At the moment I'm kind of drifting back and forth. Please tell me what you think I should do. Do you guys want youkai and Taijiya or demon and Demon Slayer?

Anyway, please review as it makes me really, really, indescribably happy. Also, here's a challenge, write a short story or one-shot based on the description of Kagome's family reunion. Note: Aiko and the jelly must be included but auntie Suzumi is optional.


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